Several lanthanide and actinide tetranitrate ions, M(III)(NO3)4(-), were produced by electrospray ionization and subjected to collision induced dissociation in quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometers. The nature of the MO(NO3)3(-) products that result from NO2 elimination was evaluated by measuring the relative hydrolysis rates under thermalized conditions. Based on the experimental results it is inferred that the hydrolysis rates relate to the intrinsic stability of the M(IV) oxidation states, which correlate with both the solution IV/III reduction potentials and the fourth ionization energies. Density functional theory computations of the energetics of hydrolysis and atoms-in-molecules bonding analysis of representative oxide and hydroxide nitrates substantiate the interpretations. The results allow differentiation between those MO(NO3)3(-) that comprise an O(2-) ligand with oxidation to M(IV) and those that comprise a radical O(-) ligand with retention of the M(III) oxidation state. In the particular cases of MO(NO3)3(-) for M = Pr, Nd and Tb it is proposed that the oxidation states are intermediate between M(III) and M(IV).

Gas-phase complexes of uranyl(V) ligated to anions X(-) (X = F, Cl, Br, I, OH, NO3, ClO4, HCO2, CH3CO2, CF3CO2, CH3COS, NCS, N3), [UO2X2](-), were produced by electrospray ionization and reacted with O2 in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer to form uranyl(VI) anionic complexes, [UO2X2(O2)](-), comprising a superoxo ligand. The comparative rates for the oxidation reactions were measured, ranging from relatively fast [UO2(OH)2](-) to slow [UO2I2](-). The reaction rates of [UO2X2](-) ions containing polyatomic ligands were significantly faster than those containing the monatomic halogens, which can be attributed to the greater number of vibrational degrees of freedom in the polyatomic ligands to dissipate the energy of the initial O2-association complexes. The effect of the basicity of the X(-) ligands was also apparent in the relative rates for O2 addition, with a general correlation between increasing ligand basicity and O2-addition efficiency for polyatomic ligands. Collision-induced dissociation of the superoxo complexes showed in all cases loss of O2 to form the [UO2X2](-) anions, indicating weaker binding of the O2(-) ligand compared to the X(-) ligands. Density functional theory computations of the structures and energetics of selected species are in accord with the experimental observations.

The homoleptic compounds [U(salan-R2)2] (R = Me (1), tBu (2)) were prepared in high yield by salt-metathesis reactions between UI4(L)2 (L = Et2O, PhCN) and 2 equiv of [K2(salan-R2)] in THF. In contrast, the reaction of the tetradentate ligands salan-R2 with UI3(THF)4 leads to disproportionation of the metal and to mixtures of U(IV) [U(salan-R2)2] and [U(salan-R2)I2] complexes, depending on the ligand to M ratio. The reaction of K2salan-Me2 ligand with U(IV) iodide and chloride salts always leads to mixtures of the homoleptic bis-ligand complex [U(salan-Me2)2] and heteroleptic complexes [U(salan-Me2)X2] in different organic solvents. The structure of the heteroleptic complex [U(salan-Me2)I2(CH3CN)] (4) was determined by X-ray studies. Heteroleptic U(IV) and Th(IV) chloride complexes were obtained in good yield using the bulky salan-tBu2 ligand. The new complexes [U(salan-tBu2)Cl2(bipy)] (5) and [Th(salan-tBu2)Cl2(bipy)] (8) were crystallographically characterized. The salan-tBu2 halide complexes of U(IV) and Th(IV) revealed good precursors for the synthesis of stable dialkyl complexes. The six-coordinated alkyl complexes [Th(salan-tBu2)(CH2SiMe3)2] (9) and [U(salan-tBu2)(CH2SiMe3)2] (10) were prepared by addition of LiCH2SiMe3 to the chloride precursor in toluene, and their solution and solid-state structures (for 9) were determined by NMR and X-ray studies. These complexes are stable for days at room temperature. Preliminary reactivity studies show that CO2 inserts into the An–C bond to afford a mixture of carboxylate products. In the presence of traces of LiCl, crystals of the dimeric insertion product [Th2Cl(salan-tBu2)2(μ-η1:η1-O2CCH2SiMe3)2(μ-η1:η2-O2CCH2SiMe3)] (11) were isolated. The structure shows that CO2 insertion occurs in both alkyl groups and that the resulting carboxylate is easily displaced by a chloride anion.

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Reactions of titanium and yttrium trichlorides with 1 equiv of the sodium or potassium salts of the diamine bis(phenolate) H2 tBu2O2NN′ (Me2NCH2CH2-(CH2-2-HO-3,5-C6H2 tBu2)2) led to formation of [TiCl(tBu2O2NN′)(L)] (L = THF, 1; py, 2) and [YCl(tBu2O2NN′)(DME)], 3. Reactions of 1 or 3 with MCH2-(2-NMe2)C6H4 and with M[2-(CH2NMe2)C6H4] (M = Li, K) led to [Ti(tBu2O2NN′)(κ2-(CH2C6H4NMe2))], 5, [Y(tBu2O2NN′)(κ2-(CH2C6H4NMe2))], 6, and [Y(tBu2O2NN′)(κ2-(C6H4CH2NMe2))], 7. [Y(tBu2O2NN′)N(SiMe3)2], 4, was obtained from 3 and KN(SiMe3)2, whereas [(Y(tBu2O2NN′)(CH2SiMe3))2(μ4-O)(μ3-Li)2], 8, formed from reaction of 3 and LiCH2SiMe3. The reaction of 7 with 1 equiv of CH3CN gave [Y(tBu2O2NN′)(NC(CH3)C6H4CH2NMe2)], 10, which displays a chelating ketimide ligand formed by nitrile insertion in the Y−Ph bond. Further reaction with CH3CN led to [Y(tBu2O2NN′)(κ2-(N(H)C(CH3)C(H)C(C6H4CH2NMe2)N(H)], 9, the formation of which involves an imine−enamine tautomerism followed by a second nitrile insertion and 1,3-hydrogen shift. The reaction of 1 with CH3CN gave [TiCl(tBu2O2NN′)(NCCH3)], which upon heating converts to a new paramagnetic species that is likely a chloride-bridged Ti(III) dimer. The EPR study performed reveals that bis(phenolate) Ti(III) complexes do not promote nitrile coupling reactions by electron transfer. The solid state molecular structures of 1−9 revealed that in all the complexes the bis(phenolate) ligand is coordinated to the metal center by the two oxygen atoms and the two nitrogen atoms with trans phenolate arrangement.